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Softball Super Regional: No. 11 Georgia (43-17) at No. 6 UCLA (40-10) begins tonight

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All games of the Los Angeles Super Regional will air or stream live on the networks of ESPN and ESPN+. Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Danielle Lawrie (analyst) will be on the call

Series History

– Georgia trails the all-time series 3-15- The Bulldogs are 1-6 against UCLA in the postseason and 1-4 against the Bruins in Los Angeles

– UGA has only played UCLA on its home field in the Super Regionals

– Georgia’s postseason history with UCLA dates back to 2002, Georgia’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament; but the teams haven’t squared off in the postseason since 2010 in OKC

– Georgia and UCLA squared off in Clearwater, Florida on Feb. 16; Georgia won the game 7-2, beating the Bruins for the first time since 2012

– The Bulldogs and Bruins had previously met in Clearwater in 2020; UCLA won 8-3- 13 of the 18 all-times meetings have been on a neutral field; Georgia is 2-11 against UCLA at neutral sites 

NCAA Tournament Tidbits

– 2024 wis Georgia’s 22nd-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance- Georgia’s stellar track record in the postseason puts it as one of eight teams in the nation to appear in a regional for 22 or more straight years (Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, UCLA, Washington). Within that realm, Georgia is one of three Southeastern Conference teams to produce such success.

– Georgia’s all-time record in postseason play is 84-46 including 65-22 in regional play- As a team, Georgia has advanced to 13 Super Regionals, including 2024, and five Women’s College World Series, most recently 2021- Georgia’s Super Regional record is 13-14- The Bulldogs’ record in Los Angeles in the NCAA Tournament is 1-4, all in Super Regional action

– Georgia and UCLA have squared off seven times in the postseason, first in 2002 and last in 2010; UCLA leads the series 6-1- Athens and Jack Turner Stadium has hosted 13 NCAA Regionals (2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024)

– This is the first back-to-back regional host for Georgia since the Bulldogs hosted three straight regionals from 2014-2016

– The Bulldogs are 50-12 all-time in NCAA Tournament games in Athens- When Athens has hosted the Regional round, Georgia has advanced to the Supers 11 of 13 times (2004, 2006 being the only times Georgia did not advance out of Athens)

– This will be the 11th time Georgia has been a national seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have never been the 11 seed. Georgia’s record as a national seed is 48-23.

Georgia won the NCAA Athens Regional at Jack Turner Stadium over the weekend. Georgia opened NCAA Tournament play with an 8-0, five-inning run rule of UNCW. A Sara Mosley grand slam highlighted the offense. The Bulldogs fell to Liberty in their second game, falling into the elimination bracket. After shutting out Charlotte to reach the Regional final, the bats came alive, hitting six home runs and scoring 14 runs against the Flames to force a Game 7. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh in the winner-take-all game, Georgia rallied for two runs to walk off the Flames and punch its ticket to the Super Regional. 

A Look at What’s Ahead

The winner of the Los Angeles Super Regional will advance to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. Georgia will look to make its sixth program appearance in OKC. 

Mosley, Kearney Make Georgia History

Seniors Sara Mosley and Jayda Kearney each went deep in Game 6 of the Athens Regional against Liberty, recording the 20th home run of the season for each. The pair become the first Bulldog teammates to each hit 20 home runs in a season.

Super Regional Schedule

Thursday, May 23; 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)  

Friday, May 24; 10 p.m. ET  

Saturday, May 25; TBA (if necessary)

Location: Los Angeles, Calif.Stadium: Easton Stadium 

Media Information

TV: networks of ESPN   Play-by-play: Courtney Lyle   Analysis: Danielle Lawrie

Streaming: ESPN+Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball

Georgia in the Polls – Week 14  

– USA Today/NFCA: 14    

– ESPN/USA Softball: 13    

– D1Softball: 13    

– Softball America: 14    

– RPI: 9

WTEN: Dasha Vidmanova, Anastasiia Lopata and Aysegul Mert advance to quarterfinals at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships

Dasha Vidmanova, Anastasiia Lopata and Aysegul Mert all advanced to their respective quarterfinal rounds at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, earning convincing singles and doubles victories on their sixth-consecutive day of competition at the Greenwood Tennis Center.

Fast Facts

• No. 70 Anastasiia Lopata’s singles run continues after cruising past Sofia Johnson (Old Dominion), 6-3, 7-5.

• No. 16 Dasha Vidmanova earned another ranked victory on the season, this time knocking off No. 6 Connie Ma (Stanford) 6-3, 6-4, marking her 12th victory in her last 13 singles matches.

• No. 14 Aysegul Mert and Vidmanova earned their highest-ranked win as a duo after knocking off No. 3 Dana Guzman/Alina Shcherbinina (Oklahoma), 6-3, 6-4 in straight sets, winning their fourth-straight finished match while taking eight of their last nine in doubles.

• Georgia is the only school to have two players remaining in the NCAA Singles Championships leading up to the quarterfinal stage of the competition.

• Both Lopata and Vidmanova sit on the same side of the singles bracket, in what could set up an all-Bulldog NCAA Singles semifinal should both advance in the quarterfinal stage on Thursday.

Up Next

The Bulldogs will resume competition at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships quarterfinals on Thursday, May 23. In singles, Lopata will face Celia-Belle Mohr (Vanderbilt) while Vidmanova takes on No. 2 Amelia Rajecki (NC State), with both matches set to start at 11 a.m. ET. In doubles, Mert and Vidmanova will compete against No. 5-8 Metka Komac and Avelina Sayfetdinova (Texas Tech) at 4 p.m. ET.

T/F: Three Bulldogs headed to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Junior Nikolai van Huyssteen took over sole possession of the Georgia pole vault record at the NCAA East Prelims on Wednesday as three Bulldogs punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Marc Minichello (javelin), Alexander Kolesnikoff (shot put), and van Huyssteen (pole vault) all placed in the top 12 in their respective events and will head to Eugene, Ore., in two weeks to compete for a national title. Additionally, four sprinters advanced to the quarterfinals and will look to advance to Nationals on Friday.

For results throughout the weekend from the NCAA East Prelims, please visit: https://gado.gs/bx7

Fast Facts

• Van Huyssteen cleared a height of 5.42 meters/17 feet, 9.25 inches on his second try to place seventh in the pole vault. The native of Paarl, South Africa, took sole possession of the school record with his personal-best vault, surpassing the program-best mark he previously shared with David Lemen.
• Minichello only needed one throw to advance to Nationals in the javelin, recording a mark of 75.11m/246-5 to finish second. The 2022 NCAA javelin champion will look to add a second title to his resume when he competes in Eugene in two weeks.
• Kolesnikoff improved his No. 8 mark in the Georgia record books in the shot put, throwing for 19.78m/64-10.75 on his final attempt to secure fourth place and a trip to Nationals. The graduate student headed into his third and final throw in 14th place before launching his season-best mark to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
• Christopher Morales Williams and Hossam Hatib advanced to the quarterfinals in the 400-meter dash as both sprinters won their respective heats. Morales Williams clocked the No. 4 time in the first round (45.63) while Hatib placed 11th with a 46.09. Both Bulldogs will look to qualify for the NCAA Championships on Friday.
• Two more Bulldogs earned their spots in the quarterfinals on the track as Micah Larry and Jehlani Gordon placed 18th and 19th in the first round of the 100m. The freshman duo both crossed the finish line in 10.41 with Gordon winning his heat.

Up Next

The Georgia women will begin competition at the NCAA East Prelims on Thursday. Stephanie Ratcliffe will open the day in the hammer throw at 10 a.m. while Charlotte Augenstein competes for Georgia in the 1500m at 6:30 p.m. The Bulldog men competing in the quarterfinals in the running events will join Riyon Rankin (high jump) and Zavien Wolfe (triple jump) in looking to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships on Friday.

Athletic Board Spring Meeting Report

 A glowing academic report, updates on facility projects and presentations from University of Georgia president Jere W. Morehead as well as J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks highlighted the first day of the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors spring meetings on Thursday.

Also in attendance were Georgia basketball coaches Mike White and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who both participated in a panel discussion.

Below are a few highlights from Thursday’s meeting.

Report from J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks

– Brooks began his report by paying tribute to longtime supporter and former football player Don Leebern, Jr. and longtime athletics staff member Mark Delafchell, who both passed away recently.

– It was a record-breaking semester for Georgia student-athletes. The Bulldogs compiled a 3.24 cumulative GPA for the spring, which is the highest of any semester in school history.

– UGA swimmer Abby McCulloh earned SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year honors and equestrian rider Caitlin Lyons was a 2024 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Award Winner.

– Georgia is ranked No. 4 overall in the SEC in the Learfield Directors’ Cup over the past five years (including new members Oklahoma and Texas).

– Football coach Kirby Smart has compiled the most wins by a head coach in his first eight seasons in college football history.

– Georgia track and field star Christopher Morales Williams set the world record in the 400M indoor and had a nation-leading time in the 400M outdoor. 

– Brooks has made several head coaching hires over the last few months. Cecile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts now lead UGA gymnastics and Erika Brennan heads the women’s golf program.

– Women’s Tennis won the SEC championship and finished national runner-up in Drake Bernstein’s first season.

– Behind Charlie Condon’s record-setting season, baseball is gearing up for a NCAA regional, while softball is at UCLA in a NCAA super regional.

– Wes Johnson has earned the most wins by a first-year head baseball coach in Georgia history.

– The Georgia Bulldog Club has raised a record $113 million in fiscal year 2024. That beats the previous record of $102 million in 2023. The Capital Campaign, which ends June 30, 2027, has raised $176 million toward the $300 million goal.

– Brooks introduced Matt Brachowski and Tanner Stines to give a few facility updates.

Facility Updates from Sr. Associate AD Matt Brachowski and Associate AD Tanner Stines

– The Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Tennis facility is complete, and both teams made good use of it this spring.

– The Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall Circle of Champions is now complete.

– Foley Field expansion construction begins this June with an estimated completion date of Winter 2025.

– Construction is on-going at the Jack Turner Softball Stadium, with an estimated completion of Fall 2024.

– Phase 2 of the Sanford Stadium South Side Improvements, which includes a new press box, is estimated to be completed by August.

-There will be updates to the Sanford Stadium refrigerators. Of the projected $1.95 million budget, $1 million will be funded by concessionaire grant and $950,000 from operating reserves.

-The estimated start for construction on the new track and field facility is August 2024 with an estimated completion date of January 2026.

-The estimated start date on the new videoboard at Stegeman Coliseum is March 2025, with an estimated completion of Fall 2025.

Report from Faculty Athletics Representative Professor David Shipley

– Georgia student-athletes boasted a 3.24 cumulative GPA this spring, marking the highest semester on record (not including the COVID 2020 spring semester). The previous high was a 3.22 GPA in the fall of 2022.

– 71 percent of UGA student-athlete earned a 3.0 or above this semester, which is also a school record.

– Women’s swimming and diving had the highest team GPA this semester with a 3.64, edging out volleyball, which had a 3.635.

– Men’s tennis led all men’s teams with a 3.60 semester GPA.

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